Reviews

Only a year into her teens, and boasting a wide smile at every concert, Jaden Carlson seems to be doing what she loves, and it shows in her playing. There’s no comparison to the crashed and burnt refugees of the entertainment industry; no label issued stranglehold on her creativity and self-motivated drive. She writes her own songs and lyrics and even finds time to do her homework between band practice.

From their debut performances at the Village Gate, a historic jazz club located on the west side of Lower Manhattan, to their high-profile collaborations with an eclectic variety of musicians, avant-jazz funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood have developed a signature style that has continued to push the boundaries of American jazz for the last 23 years.

Since Chicago-based bluegrass band Cornmeal formed in 2000, they have seen over 13 members in just four short album releases. Cornmeal is without a doubt a band of transition and change, holding on to a high level of skill and stage presence. Four-piece Cornmeal played at The Fox Theater in Boulder, CO on Thursday, August 21st. Although seemingly different members each show, Cornmeal has been playing hard-hitting jam-filled bluegrass for over a decade.

This all started with Lizzy Grant—back before Lana del Rey’s somehow-transcendent Born to Die managed to convince the vogue among us that trailer park chic was most certainly in, there was this beautiful young girl singing tortured-soul musings out of a doublewide, claiming that hell and salvation could all be found just cruising down Main Street in any blue collar town—simple as that.

The Royal Potato Family label is releasing Marco Benevento’s fifth studio album Swift on September 16, 2014. Pianist Marco Benevento arrived in Denver as a trio -- with drummer and bassist – for two nights concert in Denver. Opening with “Risd” from Benevento’s Between The Needles & Nightfall record was a catchy, upbeat song and you quickly get a feel for what Marco can concoct on a piano. With a steady drum/bass beat in the background, Marco plays a

Even if Keller Williams wasn't the one-man extravaganza in today’s music industry, his stage presence would still be undeniably compelling. But to ring in the New Year, K-Dubz wasn't alone; the Travelin’ McCourys joined him in funkin’ up the stage with their jovial blue grass jive and sublime jam solos.

Debuting yet another classical rock ‘n roll hotspot, The Fabulous Fox Theatre, in the heart of St. Louis, Missouri, Umphrey’s McGee swayed the crowd to dance the night away on Friday, August 15th. Opening with a spacey introduction song, Lucid State, first played at the 2014 Red Rocks show in Morrison, Colorado, quickly developed into an energy filled Andy’s Last Beer with tasty Jake Cinninger solos. The band thanked the St.

The first Lotus pressing I ever got my hands on was their last, Monks, this tight little package that threw-back to the glory days of trip-hop you’d never hear about unless you were in—(see Deltron 3030, Doctor Octagon, et. al.)—and, in the process, brought the mellow-fellow known as Doodlebug and his “Cloud 9” musings into my life. Here was, far as I could say, a honed-vet jam band biting hip-hop, and I dug it.

After I witness a transformative set of music, this is what inevitably occurs when the dust settles. After a band plays high energy, pedal-to-the-metal music for a cool 100-minutes, it’s difficult to ascertain which pieces stood out as the highlights among many other highlights – the crème de la crème. That’s why I try to balance dancing and having fun with taking notes in the middle of a song or right after it ends. It’s the only way I can filter the musical narrative and determine the truly supernal from the “merely” superb.

Handmade Moments’ first album is a collection of fun, sultry, inspiring, thoughtful tracks. With songs stretching from political to simply lovely, the duo (Anna Horton and Joel Ludford) offers an expansive array of styles and lyrics through their 12 songs. Musically, the album is rooted in strings and jazz; bluegrass, folk and Americana float in throughout the album. Horton and Ludford’s musical and vocal styles complement each other well; her voice sails, while his tethers.